The term mental toughness has been used for a long time in sport and is used pretty regularly in most performance based environments, wether it is in sports or at work.

But what does mental toughness mean, really?

The academic definition for mental toughness as defined by the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology is:

"Having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables you to: generally, cope better than your opponents with the many demands (competition, training, lifestyle) that sport places on a performer; specifically, be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident, and in control under pressure."

Do you notice that the first observation this definition makes is that mental toughness can come naturally, or it can be developed?

Running is a much a mental sport as it is a physical one. But a lot of runners spend a lot more time on the physical aspect of running, and not as much on the mental part. 

Today I am sharing with you three mental strategies to help you show up and train at your best.

Setting goals

There are two types of goals, process goals and outcome goals.

What is your first thought when you think of goal setting? Do you think of your goal time for finishing the marathon you have signed up for? Or do you think about being on time for your 9 am meeting tomorrow? The raise you want at work? These are examples fo both outcome and process goals. 

A goal like setting a time to finish a race is an outcome goal. It's a big, long term goal. To be successful in a long term goal, you need to break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks. 

The best athletes break goals down much farther than their goal times for their race. They have clear monthly, weekly, and daily goals. They know what they want to accomplish with each day and each workout.

Olympians know that each workout you do reflects on how you will perform on race day. It is a chance to practice and hone your technical skill, form, breathing, power, and know how it will feel.

Running Simulations

Every training run, you have the opportunity to approach with the same intent as you will have on race day. One of the most effective ways to get ready for your race is to imagine what challenges you are going to have, then take these situations and practice them in your training.

Is your race in the dead of summer? Go out and do a long training run at noon, so you know what it feels like to have the sun beating down on you for hours. Or if your race is in the mountains with lots of steep and technical trail, seek out trails like that near you and run them when you have tired legs. Doing an event that is going to take you overnight, do some training runs starting at 8 pm, 1 am, and 4 am. Then you will experience running through the night and not worry on race day how you will react to running overnight.

When you have experienced the feelings, you can remove the worry and focus on executing in the present. You will feel more confident because you have experienced the specific condition you are dealing with, and be more able to deal with any other obstacles that inevitably will come up.

Practice Visualization

 Have you heard the old phrase, "you have got to see it to believe it"? To commit to achieving a goal, you need to know what it will look like when we get there. Being able to see what it looks like to accomplish a goal helps you be motivated and prepared to put in the work.

The most successful Olympic athletes use visualization techniques to see and feel the outcomes of both their daily training and end goals. Visualization helps them execute calmly and with confidence.

There are two types of visualization, and each serves its own purpose. 

Outcome visualization is seeing yourself achieving your end goal. To do this, create a mental picture of your goal. If, for example, the goal is completing a race in a specific time, picture what it will look and feel like when you cross that finish line. The longer and more frequently you see and feel success, the more driven you will be to achieve it.

The second type is practice visualization, where you see the steps it takes to get to the end goal. By focusing on actionable steps, you (1) take away the worry of the overarching goal, and (2) have the opportunity to execute as best as you can at each step in the process.

The two types of visualization work best when used together.

By practicing the perfect move in your mind over and over, you can commit to memory how the practice feels and looks. Helping you make corrections during your training session.

For example, if you are working on your running form by focusing on keeping your glutes activated. You will have glute activation exercises to do before you start your training run. While you are running, you also need to be aware of how you feel, in both your glutes and the movement in your legs. By visualizing this before your run, as you are doing the glute activation exercises, you will remember the feeling that you are supposed to have and be able to make corrections in your practice.

Summary

As a runner, in order to be successful, you need to work on your mental game as much as your physical performance. Running is as much a mental exercise as it is a physical one.

When you have taken the time to define your goals you will set yourself up for success. And feeling what it is like to train in the specific conditions the race will have, and be in tune with your body and how it feels to move, you will be prepared to show up on race day and leave your best effort on the course.

References:

Journal of Applies Sport Psychology -Jones, Hanton, & Connaughton, 2002, p. 209, "What Is This Thing Called Mental Toughness? An Investigation of Elite Sport Performers" Journal of Applied Sport Psychology

Mental Links to Excellence, Terry Orlick and John Partingto, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Mental-Links-to-Excellence-Orlick-Partington/06033e54c01e2ff2b84402943d4b0551aae1fca7